Adjustable driving seat and bed arrangement for automobiles



May 1', 192:;

c. A.'MK ENNA ADJUSTABLE DRIVING sA'r AND'BED AnRAuGmN-r Pon Au'roloimssFim Dec. 13. 1926 2 sngetsfsneer 1 alle! nu.

. May 1', 192x c. AfMcK'l-:NNA

AnJusTALsDmvmn slm 1mm BED Humanism ,Fon m'rpuor-L's l Filed Dec. 13.1926 2 Sheetsfheet 2 A JWM.

Patented May l, 1928.

UNITED- STATES APATENT OFFICE.

cLmNcE L 'nox-ENNA, or FLINT, MICHIGAN.

ADJUSTABLE DRIVING SEAT AND BEI) ARRANGEMENT FOB AUTOMOBILES.

Application med December 13, 195m. Serial No. 154,396.'

This invention relates to seats for automobiles and particularly to aconstruction for supporting the seats which permits 'the front seat tobe adjusted for driving to suit persons of diiierent heights and whichalso permits both seats to be readily arranged to form a bed sothat theautomobile can be used for sleeping purposes or as an ambulance ortheglike.

One object of lche invention is to provide a front seat which can bequickly adjusted for driving purposes to any osition desired and whichwill be automatica ly locked in its e'xtreme forward position at suchtime.

A still further object is to provide an arrangement of rear seat whichcan be moved forward into engagement with the back of the front seatwhen the latter is turned down to form a further part of the bed and inwhich the back of the rear' seat may bel turned down into horizontalposition to complete the bed.

A still further object vis to provide supporting means for the front andrear seats `and the backs thereof which is so arranged that when thevarious parts are positioned to form a bed the upper surfaces of theseat cushions will form a substantially levelbed surface'. j

A still further object is to arrange such supporting' means so that thevarious parts seats of. the front and rear seats maybe and uicklarranged to form a bed.

Ot er proved `arrangement .will be a the constructlon hereinafter easllyparent from illustrate one specific em diment` of the invention, itbeing obvious that various modifications in details of structure maybemade within thmscope of the invention. -In said drawings: .Figure 1shows a longitudinal section of an automobile body having my improvedarran ementl of seats applied thereto',`the ing shown Jin en elevation;Fi ure 2 isa view' similar to Fig. 1 ing e seats andthe backs'thereof'turned side thereof. These supports may be made support rails 16which in turn are secured jects and advantages of my im escribed andl ishown in the accompanyingxdrawings, which showbed;

Figure 3 is a transverse section substantially on the `line 33 of Fig.1; i j Figure 4 is a detailed view showin the means of connecting theback of the ront seat to the supporting rails on which` the ;front seatis mounted;

Figure 5 isa detailed -view showing means employed for locking theseats, particularl the21 front seat, to prevent movement thereo anFigure 6 is a partial transverse section substantially on the line 6--6of Fig. 1 and showin the front of the rear seat and the means forsupporting the same. l

Referring to the drawings indetail by the reference characters thereon,the'numeral 10 indicates the floor of anl automobile body in which myimproved construction is arrangd. The numeralll indicates the back of te body and 12 the usual foot board vat the front thereof. Thearrangement used for supporting the front seat andthe rear seat is thesame to a considerable extent.

.down and the parts arranged so as to forma This arrangement will firstbe@ described in reference to the front seat.

A pair of supports 13 is secured to the floor of the automobile body,one, on each in any suitable manner, but preferably comprise U-shapedplates having their intermediate portions secured to the floor and thearms t ereof extendingupwardl 'and spaced apart. A roller 14 is mountein each of the sup orts 13 preferably by means of bolts 15 whic passthrough the upwardly extending arms of the supports. The rollers 14 areperipherally grooved and l are adapted to to the front seat 17. The seat17 is, of

course, provided with the usual cushions. The rails 16 are preferablyslotted lo sing e plate or bar provided with a lon tudmal slot, or ifdesired they ma formed b bending a rodfinto the orm shown an securingthe ends of the same toi 'tudivnall Theymay, of course, be ma e of agether. The rails 16 may be secured to the 'under side of the seatin-any desired manner.

v4some extent beyond the rear v the seat for reasons hereinafter pointedout.

It will be understood that the rails 16 are shaped to fit the groovedperipheries of the rollers 14 andit will also be apparent that with theparts arranged as described the rails 16 and the seat 17 carried therebycan be slid forwardly or rearwardly relative to the supports 13. Inother words, the rails 16 are slidably and ivotally associated with thesupports 13 so tlliat the rails and the seat j supported thereon may beadjusted to any position desired.

In order that the seat may be held in any desired position ofadjustment, itis desirable to provide locking means between the rails 16and the supports 13. The following means aie designed for that purpose.Arranged in each of the supports 13 above the lower portion of the rails16 is a flat yielding or spring flocking `member 20. The members 2O` aremounted in the supports 13 by means of transverse bolts 21 which extend-through eyes formed in the locking members 20. The locking members 2Oini termediate their ends extend beneath bolts 22 which are also mountedin the supports 13. The forward or free ends .of the lock ing membersareI preferably provided with shoes 23 having roughened surfaces whichare adapted to press against the lower portion of the rails 16 when therear ends of the rails are depressed. It will be understood that whenthe rear ends of the rails are raised the locking members 20 will notact and the rails may then be pushed forward through the supports 13 toany extent desired. When the rails and the seat inounted thereon havebeen 'pushed forward to the desired degree and the rear ends of therails 'aren depressed or moved downwardly into contact with the floor,it will be understood that the locking members 20 come into contact withthe lower portions ofthe rails 16 and the rails and theseat 17 are thusrigidly locked to the supports 13.

It will be seen that this construction provides a means b which thefront seat 17 can be quickly a justed to any desired position to suitpersons of different heights. All that is necessary is to raise the rearends of the rails and slide the seat to the point desired and upondepression of the saine the4 of course, necessary to connectv 16 and thelower ends of the arms 26 are provided with hooked portions 28 which areadapted to hook beneath a portion of the rail 16. Each of the arms 26 isalso coni nected to the upper portion of the rail 16 by means of a link29, each of these links being pushed forwardly until the front edgethereof comes into engagement with the rear edge of the seat 17, itbeing understood that slots or openings are provided in the seat 17 toshown particularly in Fig. 2 of the drawings. lWhen thus turned down thefront portion ofthe back 25 issupported on the rearwardly projectingportions of the rails 16 When the front seat 17 isin its normal positionfor use in driving, it will be seen that the front ends of the rai-ls 16are support-ed somewhat above the floor of the body and that the rearends of the rails rest4 against or near the floor. In other words, therails rest in an inclined position. This serves to give the usualincline to the upper surface'of the cushion of the seat 17. When thearrangement is to be used as a bed andA the seat 17 is moved forwardlyinto the entrenie forward position shown in Fig. 2, it

will be seen that the front ends of the rails 16 rest upon the floor ofthe car'and the parts are so proportioned that when the seat 17 is inthis position the rails 16 will support the same so that the up ersurface of the cushion on the seat 17 will be in a substantiallgIhorizontal position.

T e rear seat 30 is supported in a manner similar to that of the frontseat, but the construction dil'ers somewhat in detail. Arranged beneaththe seat 30 are two slotted rails 31 similar to the rails 16 alreadydescribed. However, the rails 31 are not rigidlyconnected to the seat 30as in the case of the front seat since it is desirable to have the rearseat 30 so arranged that the same' can be moved rearwardly relative tothe rails 31. To effect this result the seat 30 is secured to the rails31 through the medium of links 32, one at each end of the seat 30. Thelinks 32 are pivotall connected at one end to angle bars 33 rigid ysecured to the seat 30 an at their other ends they are pivotallyconnected to an intermediate portion of the rails 31. This arrangementpermits the seat I 30. to be moved rearwardly relative to the rails 31.

-accommodate the arms 26 and the links 29 as v the floor of theautomobile body and rollers 35v are rovided in said supportsv 34roverwhich t e rails 31 may travel. The rollers 35 are mounted on 'bolts 36extending through thesupports 34. Preferably bolts 34* are providedwhich are mounted in thesupports 34 and extend through the slots in therails 31, thus holding the rails on the supports. j

Adjacent their rear ends the rails 31 are provided with projections 31which are.

'adapted to enter sockets 37 in the floor of the body, this arrangementserving to hold the rear seat 30 inI its rearward position.` It

is, of course, obvious that if desiredlocking ymembers similanto themembers 20 above described may also be applied to hold the rails 31locked to the supports 34.

' Therear seat 30 is provided with a back 38 which is pivotall connectedthrough arms 39 to the rear en s of the rails 31.

Normally the rear seat 30 and the back 38 thereof rest in the positionshown in Fig. 1'. When it isbdesired to convert thearrangement into abed, the rails 31 are moved for ward over the rollers until the railsoccupy the position shown in Fig. 2. The seat 30 is then pushedrearwardly which is perl mitted by means of the links 32 and the rearedge of the seat 30\ is thus brought into contact with the front edge ofthe back 38 which can, of course, be turnedl down into the positionshown in Fig. 2. `When the back 38 isl turned down into this position itmay be sup orted by means of a ledge 38 mounted in t e rear of the body.-When the railsv3l are moved forwardly to the position shown in Fig. 2,.they will occupy an inclined posiv tion and this inclination is suchthat the upment of the rails 31. l It will be seen that the foregoingvconper surface of the cushion of the seat 30 will be brought into asubstantially horizontal position.

Extending transversely across 'the body between the front ends of therails 31 is a bar 40.' This bar is rigidly secured to the rails 31 andnormally rests beneath the front Vedge of seat 30 and is out of view.When the rails 31 are moved into the position shown in Fig. 2 and theseat 30 moved rearwardly, the-bar 40 is uncovered and this bar is ofsuch height that it will support the rear portion of the back 25 of thefront seat in a substantially7 horizontal position.

AIf desired a plate' 41 may be provided beneath the front edge of therear seat-30 to conceal thev mechanism beneath the seat. This plate ispreferably hinged :1t-42 to the floor of thek car and may be turnedupwardly into the. position shown in Fig. 1 or downwardlyv into theposition shown in Fig. 2 so as not to interfere with the forwardmovestruction provides a front seat which may be readily adjusted to anydesired position to suit different drivers and which after be ingadjusted will be automatically locked in any position in which it isplaced. It is apparent that the front seat may be either a single or adivided seat and in the latter case one or both portions of theI samemay be provided with ythe automatic locking means. It is vfurtherapparent that the foregoing construction is such that the seats and thebacks tl'ierieofmay be quickly positioned to provide a bed, the uppersurface of which will be substantially level throu hout itsy length,thus providing a colnfortile cot or bedupon which a person may lie.

Having thus described the invention, whatv I lclaim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with an automobile body, a seat, two rails secured tosaidseat, one adjacent each end thereof, a stationary support for eachrail mounted in said body, said rails being pivotally and slidablyassociated with said supports, and means for automatically locking saidrails to said supports when the rear ends of the rails are depressed.

2. .In' combination with an automobile body, a seat, a pair of railssecured thereto, one adjacent each end of the seat, a support for eachof said railsmounted in said body, said rails being slidable onsaidsupports and the ends thereof being movable up and down relative to thesupports. whereby said rails and the seat may be adjusted to any desiredposition,vand means carried by said supports for automatically lockingrsaid rails to the supports when' the rear ends of the rails aredepressed.

3. In combination with an automobile body, a seat, a pair of railssecured to said seat, one on each end'thereof, a support for jioo eachof said rails mounted on the floor, of f llO able by raising the rearends of the rails, l

whereby the rails may be moved longitudinally relative 'to the supports.

4. In combination with an" automobile body, a seat, a rail'selred toeach end of the seat, a support for each rail, said rails beingslidablyv and pivotally associated with said supports, means for lockingsaid rails to said supports'whenthe rear endsof the rails are depressed,said locking means being inoperative whenthe rearends of the rails" are5.' In combination. with an automobile body, a front seat, a pair ofstationary supports for said front seat, a pair of rails secured to saidseat and slidable over said supports, whereby said seat may be movedforwardlv or rearwardly as desired, a back for said front seat ivotallyconnected to said rails, said back ein movable into a horizontalposition at the rear of said front seat, a rear seat, a pair of.stationary supports therefor, a pair of rails secured to said rear seatand slidable over said sup erts, whereby said rear seat may be move for-Wardly, said rear seat being movable relative wai-dl on said railsbeyond ythe front ends to said last named rails, means carried by saidlast named rails and extending `transversely of the body to provide asupport for the back of said front seat when the same. 'is arrangedhorizontall and a back pivotally connected to said ast named rails andmovable into a substantially horizontal position.-

6. In combination with an. automobile body, a bed and seat arrangementtherefor comprising, a pair of front supports rigidl mounted in saidbody, a air. of vfront rai slidably associated wit said supports,whereby said'rails may be moved forwardly lor rearwardl as desired, afront seat Asecured to vsai front rails, the rear ends of said frontrails-projecting beyond. said seat a back for 'said front seat hin ysecure to said front rails and movable downwardly into a horizontalosition with the front end thereof supporte b the projecting ends ofsaid rails, a pair o rear su ports mounted in said bod of the automobie, a pair of rear rails slidab ports, whereby said rear rails may bemoved orwardly or rearwar -as desired, a back seat movabl connecte tosaid rear rails, whereby sai back seat may be moved rearof sai rearrails when the latter are moved forwardly, means carried b said rearrails for supporting the rear en of the backy of the Afront seat whenthe latter is turned down into horizontal position, a back for y saidrear seat hingedly connected to said rear rails and movable downwardlyinto a horizontal position when said rear rails are moved forwardly,said front and rear rails and seats bein moved forwardly and said backsturned own when the arrangement is used as a bed and said front and rearrailsv and seats being moved rearwardly and said backs raised to anupright position when the arranlgement is to be used 'as ordinary seats.

7. n combination with an automobile body, a bedv and seat arrangementther-'ein comprising four sections, the first section being formed ofthe front seat, a pair of frontrails secured to said front seat,'a pairassociated with said rear supsition with its lower end abutting the rearend of' the first section, means on said rail's for supporting the frontend of said back when in horizontal position, the third sec tion beingformed by the rearseat, a pair of rear rails for supporting said rearseat, a pair of rear supports upon which the rear ends .of said lastnamed rails rest and which hold said rear ends above the floor of thebody with the up )er surface of said rear seat substantiallyhorizontahsaid rear seat being inovablerearwardl on said rear rails toexpose the front en thereof, means carrie y the front ends of said rearrails upon which the rear end of said second section rests when einhorizontal position, the rear rearwardly, the fourth section beingformed of the back of said'rear seaty said back hingedly connected4 tosaid rear rails an movable into a horizontal position,.with the fronte'd e thereof abutting the rear end of said t ird section, said frontrails and rear rails being-slidably and lvotally associated with saidsup rts w ereby they ma be moved rearwar ly thereon to bring sai firstand third sections in position for use as seats and said backs beingmovable into an upright position to form backs for the seats..

8. In combination with an automobile body a front seat arrangementadapted to function as an ordinary seat or as part of a bed, saidarrangementv comprising a -pair of su orts mounted on the oor o theautomo e, a pair-of rails slidably and pivotally associated with saidsupports, said r supports 'servin to'hold either end of said rails abovethe oor of the automobile with the other end resting u nthe door, aseatsecured to said rails, t e rear ends of said rails projecting beyondsaid seat,- aback for of said rails, a link connecteach of said arms tothe corresponding rai said hooked portions of said arms being detachable'from said rails, whereby said back may be turned into horizontalposition and the lower edge thereof moved against the rear ed of saidseat, the rearwardly projectin en of said rails serving to support saidack. when in such horizontal position. x

Intestimony whereof I hereunto allix my signature.

cna-amena'. Mamma.

